Congenital rubella deafness: a preventable disease.

Over a 4-year period (1972-75) an unselected sample of 568 children aged under 4 years attending the Nuffield Hearing and Speech Centre were tested for rubella antibody. Sensorineural deafness was subsequently diagnosed in 349 of these children, and 83 (24%) of this group had rubella antibody. In contrast, only 19 (9%) of the remaining 219 children in whom sensorineural deafness was excluded had rubella antibody. The seropositive and seronegative children with sensorineural deafness showed striking differences in family history, history of maternal rubella, adverse perinatal events, and presence of other defects. Congenital rubella is an important cause of deafness, and the rubella vaccination programme must be pursued more vigorously if this serious defect is to be prevented in the future.